A planet in a Vedic chart is read twice: for where it sits, and for what it looks at. That look is called drishti, meaning sight, and it is one of the three basic ways planets relate to each other, along with sitting in the same sign (conjunction) and exchanging signs. A conjunction is a planet next to another. An aspect is a planet influencing from a distance, carrying its own nature to the house and the planets it falls on.
The guides in this library set out the rules, say plainly where schools differ, and show how to use aspects without over-reading them. They describe tendencies. No look in a chart “will” cause anything, and a pressing look is as likely to build skill as to bring difficulty.
The rules at a glance
| Planet | Signs it looks at, counted from its own as the 1st |
|---|---|
| Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus | The 7th |
| Mars | The 4th, 7th and 8th |
| Jupiter | The 5th, 7th and 9th |
| Saturn | The 3rd, 7th and 10th |
| Rahu and Ketu | Disputed: none, the 7th, or the 5th, 7th and 9th, depending on the school |
This is the Parashari scheme, in which Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra is the main text. Jaimini’s tradition has a different grammar, in which signs look at signs.
The guides
The planetary looks
- The 7th aspect of every planet: the look all planets share, and how to count it.
- Mars: the 4th, 7th and 8th aspects: drive towards home, partnership and the hidden houses.
- Jupiter: the 5th, 7th and 9th aspects: the most welcomed sight.
- Saturn: the 3rd, 7th and 10th aspects: slow, steadying and durable.
- Do Rahu and Ketu aspect?: the four positions teachers take.
How looks combine
- Mutual aspects: planets that look at each other, and why Mars and Saturn are the one special case.
- Aspects on houses and on planets: the same look read two ways.
- Full and partial aspects: the quarter, half and three-quarter looks, and virupas.
- Benefic and malefic aspects: shubha and papa drishti, and why neither is a verdict.
Another system, and putting it to use
- Jaimini rashi drishti: the sign aspects of movable, fixed and dual signs.
- How to read aspects in a chart: a step-by-step order.
Where aspects meet the rest of the library
Aspects connect to nearly everything else in a reading. The conjunction library covers planets in one sign, and many of its pages mention the aspects that fall on the pair. The yoga library covers combinations in which an aspect or a mutual aspect can supply the link between two planets, such as Raja Yoga and Gaja Kesari Yoga. The house library and the house lord tables show what a planet gives in each house, which is what an aspect brings to the house it falls on. For timing, see mahadasha and antardasha explained.
Find the aspects in your chart
The planet position calculator gives each planet’s sidereal sign, degree and house, from which every look can be counted. The Shadbala calculator scores the strength of aspects received, and the Mangal dosha calculator and Kaal Sarp calculator test two popular patterns that rest on Mars and the nodes.
A note on sources
The planetary looks and their fractions come from the classical Parashari framework in Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra. The sign aspects belong to the Jaimini tradition. The aspects of the nodes are not settled in the classical list, and each guide says where views differ.
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is an aspect in Vedic astrology?
It is the influence a planet casts on a sign other than its own, counted by sign from the planet. The look reaches the house that sign forms and any planets in it.
↳ Which planets have special aspects?
Mars looks at the 4th and 8th as well as the 7th, Jupiter at the 5th and 9th, and Saturn at the 3rd and 10th. The Sun, Moon, Mercury and Venus look only at the 7th.
↳ Do Rahu and Ketu aspect?
Schools differ: some say no, some give the 7th only, and many modern teachers give the 5th, 7th and 9th. The standard classical list names only Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
↳ Is an aspect stronger than a conjunction?
Most teachers treat a conjunction as the closer tie. A mutual aspect is read as nearly as strong and a one-way look as lighter.
↳ Are aspects always bad when from malefics?
No. A malefic look is read as pressing, which often builds skill and discipline. The planet's dignity and house lordship change the reading.